Opinion: Will artificial intelligence deliver an android that works as your personal assistant?

The synthetic android in “Meet Walter” offers a vision of the future

I’m a huge fan of the original “Alien” franchise, largely because of Sigourney Weaver’s performance and the crucial part technology plays in its lore.

Not only does this tech allow humans to traverse immense distances to reach alien-infested worlds, but it provides them with androids: perfect robotic assistants so advanced that it’s extremely difficult to distinguish them from human crew. In fact, they’re superior to their human companions in many aspects, from their superhuman strength to their refined motor skills.

As a part of promoting the upcoming sci-fi horror film “Alien: Covenant,” (in theaters May 19), 21st Century Fox unit FOX, +2.02% Twentieth Century Fox released its branded short film “Meet Walter,” starring Michael Fassbender. It introduces Walter, the latest synthetic android, with intelligence powered by AMD’s AMD, -0.37% Ryzen and Radeon processors and manufactured by the film’s fictional corporation,Weyland-Yutani.

This got me thinking. What really IS the future of AI? Where is AI now, and where is it heading? Continue reading